Pictured: Jim Abbott, senior partner at Mander
Cruickshank
A leading East Midlands solicitor has called for a push for all
legal services to be regulated by one body to protect the
public.
Jim Abbott, a partner at Leicestershire based Mander Cruickshank
said the move would ensure those engaging in legal services gets
the protection needed to have confidence in the law.
Mr Abbott's comments follows the Solicitors Regulation Authority
(SRA) recently starting a debate for the move by calling for
a fundamental review of regulation in England and Wales.
The SRA says the Legal Services Board's(LSB) current approach of
addressing reserved activities on a case-by-case basis is not
working quickly enough to protect consumers adequately.
Mr Abbott, whose firm has branches in both Coalville and
Hinckley said: "There is certainly a lack of clarity for consumers
about which services are regulated, as well as a lack of
consistency in consumer protection. This also adds up to a lack of
focus on quality, standards and ethical behaviour."
He said he welcomed the LSB's consultation paper as start to the
debate.
He added: "It is in the public interest that all legal services
should be regulated in the public interest and in the interests of
consumers.
"There are many hard working, well qualified professionals
working hard for their clients and it is always distressing when we
see cases which are showing our profession in a poor light. It is
important to build the confidence of the public in legal services
and for them to know that they can rest in the knowledge that if
something does go wrong there is adequate protection."
"We urge all those involved in the legal profession to support
this move and with the will it can happen."